Wizard World has already kicked off a great 2016 with a number of conventions so far. Their next stop? Minneapolis, Minnesota beginning May 6th. The three-day con is filled with artists, creators, gaming, cosplay, comic book publishers, retailers and celebrity guests. PopCultHQ has your look at Wizard World Minneapolis and what you can expect!
CELEBRITY GUESTS
Robin Lord Taylor
(Actor – Gotham [Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin]; The Walking Dead [Sam]; Accepted [Abernathy Darwin Dunlap])
Robin Lord Taylor has appeared in several acclaimed television series, such as “The Walking Dead,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “The Good Wife” and “Person of Interest.” He also has had a recurring role as “Darrell, the ‘Late Show’ page with the fake British accent” on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Taylor is perhaps best known for his role as “Abernathy Darwin Dunlap” in the cult feature comedy “Accepted,” starring opposite Jonah Hill and Justin Long. He has appeared in the hit independent horror film “Would You Rather,” with Brittany Snow and June Squibb. He was most recently seen starring opposite Bryan Cranston and Alice Eve in the independent film “Cold Comes the Night.”
Robin currently stars in the Batman TV Series origin story “Gotham” with the role of a young Oswald Cobblepot, otherwise known as The Penguin.
Cory Michael Smith
(Actor – Gotham [Edward Nygma])
Cory Michael Smith stars as Edward Nygma (aka the Riddler) on the hit television series Gotham. He recently appeared in award-winning HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge opposite Frances McDormand and in Todd Haynes’s Academy Award nominated film Carol opposite Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, and Camp X-Ray opposite Kristen Stewart. On stage, he starred in the Broadway production of Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the acclaimed off-Broadway plays Cock aka The Cockfight Play; The Whale, and The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World. He is a graduate of Otterbein University.
James Frain
(Actor – Gotham [Theo Galavan]; TRON: Legacy [Jarvis])
James Frain is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and respected actors who has a reputation for bold, intelligent performances in a diverse body of work in which he’s collaborated with some of the finest actors and directors working today.
He has appeared as character actor and leading man in 28 feature films, and in 47 TV shows, including: True Blood, The Tudors, 24, and The White Queen.
He has worked with some of the best actors and biggest names in the industry: Jeff Bridges, Anthony Hopkins, Robert de Niro, Ian McKellan, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, Jessica Lange, Charlize Theron, Lawrence Fishbourne, Kate Beckinsale, Tim Roth, Patricia Arquette, Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Kira Sedgewick, Vincent de Nofrio, Jonathan Rhys Myers and Henry Cavill.
Falk Hentschel
(Actor -Legends of Tomorrow [Carter Hall/Hawkman])
Falk Hentschel can currently be seen in the new DC show LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, the highly anticipated spin-off of the smash hit series ARROW and THE FLASH. In the series, which debuted on THE CW channel in the US in January, Falk plays ‘Hawkman/Carter’ Hall alongside Victor Garber, Brandon Routh and Caity Lotz.
Falk’s film credits include the mercenary Motts in Roland Emmerich’s action-drama WHITE HOUSE DOWN, starring Channing Tatum, James Woods, Jamie Foxx and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Falk also featured in Twentieth Century Fox’s blockbuster KNIGHT AND DAY as ‘Bernhard the assassin’ alongside Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
Falk made his acting debut in the Emmy Award-winning television series ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT for CBS and went on to feature in many further award-winning projects including JOURNEYMAN for NBC, REVENGE for the ABC and E4, THE CLOSER for TNT and Channel 4, a nine-episode run on RECKLESS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES and in a special episode of CSI entitled ‘Targets of Obsession’ opposite Justin Bieber, all for CBS. Last year Falk played ‘Whiplash/Marcus Scarlotti’ in Marvel’s AGENTS OF SHIELD on the episode ‘A Fractured House’.
Jewel Staite
(Actress – Firefly; Serenity; Stargate: Atlantis; Warehouse 13)
Jewel Staite most recently starred as Raquel in the CW series The L.A. Complex, which premiered in the Spring of 2012. Prior to that, Jewel was seen as Dr. Keller in the SyFy Channel hit series Stargate: Atlantis.
Jewel made her 2005 feature film debut in Universal Pictures’ Serenity, Joss Whedon’s adaptation of the FOX science fiction television series Firefly, of which Jewel was a series regular. Jewel played the ship’s mechanic Kaylee Frye, a sweet, happy and sensual farm girl who loves life and is a genius at fixing anything.
Additionally, Jewel has several TV series under her belt including Fox Family’s Higher Ground with Hayden Christensen, a recurring role on the highly praised FOX series Wonderfalls, and NBC’s Just Deal. Some guest appearances include the CW’s Supernatural, her memorable role in the Showtime pilot Huff with Hank Azaria and Oliver Platt, Syfy’s Warehouse 13, as well as Showtime’s Dead Like Me opposite Ellen Muth and Rebecca Gayheart, and FOX’s The X-Files opposite David Duchovny.
Jeremy Shada
(Voice Actor – Adventure Time with Finn & Jake [Finn]; Team America: World Police; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; Batman: The Brave and the Bold [Robin])
Jeremy currently plays the lead role of Finn on Cartoon Network’s Emmy-nominated series ADVENTURE TIME. The series is currently the highest rated series in the history of Cartoon Network and has a worldwide fan base. Jeremy was also the star of Nick Cannon’s live action comedy series, THE INCREDIBLE CREW on Cartoon Network. He starred as young Charlie Pace on the ABC television drama LOST.
Kristin Bauer
(Actress – True Blood [Pam De Beaufort]; Once Upon a Time [Maleficent])
Kristin Bauer van Straten (born Kristin Neubauer) is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for her current role as vampire Pam in the HBO series True Blood.
She has also made a number of guest appearances in several television shows, including LA Law, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Dark Angel, Two and a Half Men, Star Trek: Enterprise, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, and George Lopez.
Bauer has also been cast in the 2011 fantasy TV Series, Once Upon a Time, as the evil Maleficent, of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty fame, the rival of the Wicked Queen of Snow White.
James Marsters
(Actor – Buffy The Vampire Slayer; Caprica; Torchwood; Smallville)
AMERICAN actor, singer and songwriter James Marsters first found international fame playing punk-goth Brit vampire Spike in the critically acclaimed American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the equally popular spin-off Angel.
Film roles include live action film Dragon Ball, romantic love story P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler and Kathy Bates, USA Original true-crime film Cool Money, independent thriller Shadow Puppets, Winding Roads, The House On Haunted Hill and Chance with Buffy co-star Amber Benson.
The Californian actor, who grew up in Modesto, has also played Brainiac in TV’s Smallville and guest starred in Without A Trace, Millennium, Andromeda, The Mountain, Saving Grace, Caprica and most recently Warehouse 13, Supernatural and Hawaii Five-O.
James’s voiceover talents can be found portraying Lex Luthor on the DVD release of Superman: Doomsday and he continues to read for the very popular Dresden Files books on tape series.
Sasha Roiz
(Actor – Grimm [Sean Renard]; Caprica [Sam Adama]; Warehouse 13 [Marcus Diamond])
Sasha Roiz is hard at work on season four of NBC’s hit drama Grimm, from the executive producers of Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Roiz plays the mysterious Captain Renard, chief of police. Renard appears to be the trustworthy superior and ally to Nick Burkhardt (The Grimm), but is in fact a descendant of a royal line, wielding great influence and intent on reestablishing his authority.
This dynamic character follows Roiz’s groundbreaking series regular role as Sam Adama — a brutal mob enforcer, gay married man and devoted uncle, on the critically acclaimed Syfy series Caprica, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica. Roiz’s introduction to feature films began with supporting roles in Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow; 16 Blocks, opposite Bruce Willis; and Man of the Year, alongside Robin Williams. Roiz was later seen opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the film Unthinkable, also starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Sheen.
Roiz was born in Israel and was raised in Montreal, Canada. He grew up speaking Russian, French and English. Roiz has guest starred on some of television’s most notable programs, including Emmy-nominated shows such as House, The Mentalist, CSI and NCIS.
David Giuntoli
(Actor – Grimm [Nick Burkhardt])
David Giuntoli was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He was educated at St. Louis University High School and moved on to Indiana University Bloomington, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business and Finance. Giuntoli relocated to Los Angeles to forge a career in acting, and joined the Echo Theater Company. His first television appearances, however, were on reality shows “The Challenge” and “Road Rules”. Acting success followed with roles in, amongst others, “Privileged” and “Eli Stone”. In 2011, Giuntoli was cast in the leading role of Nick Burckhardt in NBC’s “Grimm”.
Official release from Wizard World:
Wizard World continues its 2016 schedule with its third trip to the Minneapolis Convention Center at Wizard World Minneapolis, May 6-8. Robin Lord Taylor and James Frain (“Gotham”), Jewel Staite (Firefly, “Serenity”), Billy Boyd (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World), Falk Hentschel (“Legends of Tomorrow”), and James Marsters (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) headline the roster of celebrity guests scheduled to attend the pop culture extravaganza, the eighth event on Wizard World’s calendar of comic con events in 2016.
Taylor, Staite, Boyd, Hentschel, and Frain are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8; Marsters and will attend all three days .
Other well-known Wizard World Minneapolis confirmed guests include Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”), Jason David Frank (“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”), and Sean Schemmel (voice actor: “Dragon Ball Z”).
Wizard World is also the home of the most creative comics artists and writers on the planet. Artist Alley in Minneapolis will feature Gerhard (“Cerebus”), Danny Fingeroth (“Spider-Man,” “Iron Man”), Tom Cook (“He-Man,” “She-Ra”), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine art), Arthur Suydam (“Marvel Zombies,” “Army of Darkness”), Tim Seeley (“Revival,” “Ant-Man & Wasp”), James O’Barr (“The Crow”), Guy Gilchrist (writer/cartoonist, “Nancy,” “Muppet Babies”), Michael Golden (“Batman,” “Spider-Man”), Peter Gross (“Lucifer,” “Unwritten”) and many others.
Wizard World comic and gaming con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more.
Wizard World Minneapolis show hours are:
- Friday, May 6, 3-8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Sunday, May 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wizard World is also the place for cosplay, with fans young and old showing off their best costumes throughout the event. Fans dressed as every imaginable character – and some never before dreamed – will roam the convention floor. The famed Wizard World Minneapolis Costume Contest will take place on Saturday night.
